musket ball

A musket ball was an early form of ammunition used for loading muskets. Musket balls were generally made from lead, (though at times stone musket balls were used) and were muzzle loaded into the barrel of the musket, wrapped in a loosely-fitting paper patch and backed with gunpowder.

Musket balls were made by pouring molten lead into a musket ball mold. Before firing, they were wrapped in a linen or paper patch, and then inserted into the barrel to ensure a tight fit. This increased the velocity and accuracy of the ball by trapping the expanding gases more efficiently. If the musket ball was not wrapped in a patch, it could bounce from side to side within the barrel and exit somewhat erratically, causing the ball to lose not only velocity, but accuracy.

Musket balls were of a diameter considerably larger than today's modern rifles - the Brown Bess fielded a caliber of more than .5", and hence the ball could cause large wounds. The smooth bore muskets of the Brown Bess period had considerable hitting power and were able to penetrate the armour of the day, but had limited accuracy due to the lack of rifling in the barrel. In practice muskets were fired at close range in volley fire and rarely beyond 50 yards. The rifled muskets of the American Civil War were much more accurate and combat ranges of 300 yards were practical. The term 'ball' lingered on in that conflict as applied to the standard ammunition used by both sides - the Minie ball. However the Minie ball was not a ball, but a conical lead bullet designed to be fired down a rifled barrel. Effectively with the invention of the Minie ball and the development of the bullet cartridge, the musket ball became obsolete after the middle of the ninenteenth century due to its inaccuracy and slowness of loading.

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